Pistachio Packager Harvests Money Savings Through RFID

Setton Pistachio processes and packages more than 60 million pounds of pistachios each year from its own orchards and from private owners as well. It has contracts with drivers that attach Setton-owned trailers to their own semi trucks to retrieve the crop from the orchards. Until recently, the drivers would come in each morning, find out where they needed to pick up crop, attach a trailer, and leave. Setton Pistachio had no visibility into whether the drivers were going where they were supposed to, or when they would return. Furthermore, when the crop did come into the processing plant, the company had to rely on the drivers to determine which orchard it came from.With such high volume during the six-week harvesting period, the processes Setton Pistachio was using presented some issues for the company. For instance, in addition to not having visibility into the actions of the drivers, the company at times experienced shortages of trailers, even theft of some. Process inefficiencies existed when the crop arrived as well. The company had to hire five temporary data entry employees during the busy season.Setton Pistachio decided that the solution it needed was in RFID.Source: Integrated Solutions